Super Street Network

2014 Range Rover Evoque Gets Nine-Speed Auto

Credited with helping to turn around the fortunes of one of Britain’s best-loved carmakers, the Evoque will get a raft of new technologies for the new model year, including a new ZF nine-speed automatic transmission.

First seen at the Geneva Auto Show in March, the ZF-9HP automatic transmission is among the world's first nine-speed units fitted to a passenger car. It’s said to have fast responses and an adaptive shift program that is able to match it patterns to your driving style.

If it’s anything like the eight-speed ZF unit currently fitted in the latest Range Rovers, Jaguars and BMWs, the new ZF-9HP should be a boon for the smallest Range Rover, which will continue to be powered by a 2-liter 240hp turbo engine.

In addition, the Evoque gets an Active Driveline system with active differentials and torque vectoring as standard, where specified.

The system is able to provide four-wheel drive 'on demand' system, decoupling the 4WD system when not needed to reduce driveline drag at speeds above 22mph. Yet when needed, the system monitors vehicle dynamics and can activate AWD within 300 milliseconds whenever it’s needed.

The Active Torque Biasing uses an electronic differential to distribute torque between the rear wheels, optimizing traction and stability. In addition, a Torque Vectoring further enhances agility and safety by re-directing torque between all four wheels to counteract understeer.